Spring forming machine



y 1932- w. E. WUNEJERLICH 1,86?,,128

SPRING FORMING MACHINE Filed Feb. 21, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet l WWW July 12, 1932. v w, WUNDERLICH 1,867,128

SPRING FORMING MACHINE Filed Feb. 21, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 p 4 fig I I %4 4? /6 July 12, 1932. w. E. WUN DER"LICH SPRING FORMING MACHINE Fil ed Feb. 21, 1931 4. Sheets-Sheet 3 y 1932- w. E. WUNDERLICH 1,867,128

SPRING FORMING MACHINE Filed Feb.'2l, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented July 12, 1932 o v i 7 ires stares shrew OFFEQE WILLIAM E/WUNDERLIGH, OF MUNCIE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO THE MOORE COMPANY,

OF MUNCIE, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA SPRING FORMING MACHINE Application filedFebruary 21, 1931. Serial No. 517,502.

This invention relates to improvements in Fig. 4: is a medial section substantially on spring forming machines, especially mathe line 4 of Fig. 3. Y chines for making coiled bed or cushion Flg. 5 1s a transverse section on the line springs and more particularly to means for 5+5 of Fig. 3, looking upwardly toward 5 closing the end coil and forming loops therethe twister head. V

i p V Fig. 6 is a side view of the twister head and In the illustrative embodiment of this ina section of the die block or mandrel, taken vention which is shown in the accompanying substantially on the line 66 of Fig. 5. drawings, a spring is coiled up and presented F 1g. 7 is a plan section along the line 7- -7 m to the machine. The machine then closes the of 1g. 6. 7

end coil by wrapping theend around the Flg- 8 18 a slde v1ew of the mandrel and adjacent coil, and in the same operation Clamp finger, substantially. along the line forms outwardly projecting loops inrthe end, 8 of Fig. 7. I coil by which the ends of the spring are to g- 9 a rever ed v ew 0f the mandrel 15 be Connected to build up the bed spring or and clamplng finger shown in Fig. 8. cushion. In the particular form of spring The machlne is constructed generally shown the connection is accomplished by l g e lIl S Of an lnclllled punch press, threadinga coiled wire through the loops, l h a base 10 on which is supported a frame the coiled wire extending between the rows lllh vlng an lncllned slide supporting sur- A of, of springs engaging th l p of b th d face 1:2, and a cam shaft 13 rotatably mountjacent springs and also completely around d spa mailing 14 and 15 inthe upper the assemblage of springs; Accordingly, the p o 0f h v v springs at the edges require loops on three Th fi 1S driven y means of a fly Wheel sides, and the springs in the intermediate 16 Whlch 1S retatably ed 0n the right I portion only require loops on two opposite and 0f the Shaft-and is constantly drivenrthe T5 sides. Also, the individual springs are made y Wheel e g 60111199141016 0 the Shaft f0 1 i diff t. iz A di l among th one revolution by any well known automatiobjects of this invention is to provide a ma- Cally tr pped punch-press clutch. 1 chine which is readily adaptable for springs $111 the g w -ys 17 and 18, Fig. 5, sup- Pa) of different izes or with a, different 1 1 ported 011 the inclined face 12 Of the frame 11, 30

of loops, or other differences in formation'as i slidebly m u a m 2 Which is drawn may be desired. I p upwardly lnto engagement with. a cam 21, Other objects of the invention are to proformed on Shaft y of sprlngs vide improved means for twisting over the 22 and 23 Wluch are anchored h p ends; to provioe means for combining the op- P k the legs w m are b the erations of closing the ends andforming the f ia 15 and 10, h i 1S provlded loops so as to produce the springs economical- 3 l F for f t fnz and ly, and to provide simple means for accuratep10 e O 16 cam 1s sue 1 that the one revolution of the shaft v13 the ram is g gg fi ggg efiectmg h formatlon of forced rapidly downward, where it dwells I th d U for a little over 120 degrees of the rotation;

e rawmbs 1 then it is allowed to return and dwell in the 1 1S a P PQ Q 719W of completed upper position as the single rotationfis com- S leted.

1S slde elevetlon of the operatlflg P 6n the surface or pad 12 is bolted a recmechanism of the machine, taken on the hue t l r bed plate 26, which is slidably ad- 2-2 0f gp v justable along said surface to determine the Fig. 3 1s a face Vlew of themB ha i m space relationship to the'ram. The surface looking downwardly from the upper left of the bed plate 26 is slotted transversely and side of Fig. 2. r also longitudinally to themovement of the ram to provide the guideways 27, 28 and 29; and at the intersection of the slots is fixedly mounted a block 30 to which is fitted a mandrel or die block 31 for shaping theend of the spring 32, asshown in Fig. 1.

Since these loops 33 34 and 35*"arere- 'quiredin the end coil 36, Corresponding peripheral projections 33, 34 and 35, conform- .ing to the inside of the loops, are provided,

the projections 33 and 35 being at the left and right sides, and 34 at the lower side. The upper side of the mandrel isv cutaway to provide a wide recess 37 leaving aside 38 near the longitudinal center line; and in the upper surface of the mandrel and. adjacent the side 38 is formed a helical groove 39 which conforms to. the initial portionof the second coil 40, of the spring, the marginal U V twister wheel 43 is rotatably mounted, comprises an upturned block 44 and a cover plate 45, which are fastened togetherby thescrews 46', laterally projecting slides47'and 48 being provided, which operate, respectively, in the guideways'1. and 18 having the cover plates 51 and 52, as best shown in Fig, 5.

In the upper end of the block 44 are provided clearance recesses 53, 54, for the lobes of the cam 21, and a vertical slot'55. for; ac-

commodating'the segmental gear 56",, fixedon the shaft 13 at the side of the cam- In. the left side of the block are provided the intersecting circularrecesses 57 and 58, see Fig; 6; and rotatably mounted, in the recess 57 is a gear '60 which meshes with thegear segment 56, the gear 60 being turned one complete revolution by the segment. At the side of the gear 60 is'secured a gear wheel 61, and the shaft 62, towhich the gears are keyed, is provided, at the right-handside of the bloclg'with an indexing collar 63, pinned to the shaft. As best shown in Fig. 3,.the gears are positioned at the end of each stroke of the ram by means of the. spring-pressed index lever 64, which is pivotally mounted ..onthe right-hand side of the block 44 and yieldably engages in a notch 65. provided in the collar 63. r

The twister wheel 43 has a pinion 66 formed thereon,"which mesheswith the. gear 61, the pinion being proportioned to turn 7 twice at each revolution of the driving gear a projecting formation around the wheel, so

that, in the downward stroke of the ram,the

wheel may enter the recess 37 in the mandrel, V

with the axis of the wheel coinciding with the adjacent spring wire, the wheel having a radial slot '67 for receiving the wire. l

On the right-hand surface ,of the cover plate- 45, which. is exposedbelow the twister wheel, is seen-red a gauge plate 68 which extends in front of the pinion 66. This plate regulates the projection of the end of the spring beyond the wall 38, the spring being rotated when placed on the mandrel so that the end strikesthegauge, plate, as best shown in Fig.3: 7 r j The right-hand "sidefof the twisterhas a conical bore 69for'cl'earingthe adjacent portion ofthespring,fand in the left-hand surface of the twister the upper portion is cut away, leaving a shelf 70 forengaging the spring'end portion 71, 'whi'chis-bent'i'nwa rdly along the -recess surface 38' when the twister wheel is advanced into the recess, as "best shown in Fig. 7. I

The lower end "of ftheguidejplate 51 is shortened to provide space for a. bracket plate 72' whichis adj'nstalbly secured to the bedplate 12 by/means of a screw 7 3 which extends throughan elongated-slot 7 4 in the-bracket,

bracket 72is pivotally mounted a cl'amp l finger 75. As best shown in side-elevation in Fig,

8,,the fing r is notched and recessed at the end to, engage the uppersurface of'the mandrel and'c'l'a'mpxthe second coil portion '40" in the groove 39. This clamps the spring se- '7 "curely inp'os'ition and prevents rotational dis placement thereof. I

Theloops 33, 34'and 35 are formed progressivel gstarting with theside of the loop 33 nearest the, end ofthe spring,iby means'o'f the slidablymounted and independentlymovable dies 76 and 7-7 mounted in theguid'eway 2.7

7'8 and 7 9 in the guideway 29; and.8 0and 81 in the guid'eway 28'. As shown in Fig, 2,

each of these dies is mounted" on awsli'de. 8'2;

and the sl'opingputer sides of th-e-"die'slides are engaged by the conforming angular sur-' faces of the gi'bs 83, which are secured in the sides of "the'guidewayslets. At the outer 'ends,'eacl1 of"'tIieslides 82 has a notch '84 which is-journa-leda cam roller85 andthedies are each 'adjustahl-y positionedion their respective slide blocks 82, by meansaot'a screw 86 which is threaded throng ran upstanding lug 87 formed on the-.hlochythe die piecelbeing clamped in position by a screw 88 which extendsthreugh a slotin-the-dies and threads intothe slidev block. At,- theinner ends the pairs of dies have notches 89 in the adjacent The dies 7 6,81 are independently'mowed as shown in Fig. 3. On the inner'sideof the V sides which cooperate to bend the wire around the corresponding mandrel-projections.

I 13, as viewed in Fig. 3, is formed a bearing 98 in which is rotatably mounted a sleeve 99. On the upper end of the sleeve is fixedly mounted a miter gear 100 which meshes with a miter gear 101 fixed on the left end of the shaft 13. A hearing 102 in alignment with the fixed bearing 98 is integrally formed on the bed plate 26; and rotatably mounted in the bearing 102 is provided a camshaft 103 on which are fixedly mounted the cams 9:2 and 93, the cams being positioned so that the die 76 is advanced slightly ahead of the 00- operating die 77. At the upper end, the shaft 103 telescopes into the sleeve 99 and is slidably connected thereto for rotation by the spline key 104, so that the bed plate 26 with the mandrel 31 mounted thereon may be adjusted with reference to the ram and twister wheel 43.

On the lower end of the shaft 103 is keyed a miter gear 106, and this gear meshes with amating gear 107 keyed on the cam shaft 108,

on which are keyed the earns 94 and 95 for,

the dies 78 and 79, the shaft 108 being rotatably mounted in bearings 109 and 110 formed on the lower edge of the bed plate; and on the right side of the bed plate are formed the spaced bearings 111 and 112 in which are rotatably mounted the shaft 113 carrying the cams 96 and 97, the shafts 108 and 113 being connected by the miter gears 114 and 115. I

The holding finger 75 is moved to clamp engaged by a lever 117 pivotally mounted on the bed plate, and the lever 117 is operated by an angular lever 118, also pivoted on the bed late, which is engaged by the projection,

87 o the slide 82 011 which the die 76 is mounted, as shown in Fig. 3. Then, as the ram moves downwardly, the cam plate 120, adjustably secured to the side of the plate 45 of the ram, engages and holds the finger down, as shown in Fig. 8. The finger is retracted to normal or raised position, as shown in Fig. 4, by means of the spring 121.

To review the operation of the machine, the bed spring is placed on the mandrel, as de-' scribed above, with the end of the spring against the gauge finger 68 and the second coil portion supported in the groove in the upper surface of the mandrel.

The operator then sets the cam shaft 13 in motion by connecting the constantly driven fiy wheel to the shaft. The parts are shown in initial position in Fig. 2, and as the shafts 13, 103, 108 and 113 rotate, the cam 21 moves the twister head into position, as shown in Fig. 7, and the die cams start to successively move the dies inward. As the first die 76 starts to move in, the-lever. 117' is rotated to move the holding finger down to clamp the spring on the mandrel. Then as the twisting wheel moves into'cooperative relation with the mandrel, the end of the spring is bent over and the segment 56 engages the gear 61 to rotate the twister wheel and wrap the end around the adjacent coil. As the ram completes its downward stroke, the plate 120 moves over the finger and locks it down. At the same time, the dies start to engage the projections on the mandrel. This forms the loops 33 34 and 35 and wraps the spring tightly around the mandrel. Then, at the completion of the one turn of the shafts, the parts are returned to normal position. 7 V In this manner the end of the spring is closed and the loops formed in a rapid and accurate manner. The amount of wire can be correctly gauged for the winding and v and the bed plate adjusted to position the mandrel with respect to the twister head; This adjusting can bedone without disturbing the driving connection to the die cam shafts, and the dies can be readily adjusted to correctly engage theloop-forming projections onthe' mandrel. V While I have described but one illustrative embodiment of my invention, many .alte'r'ations and omissions may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, as defined in the following'claims. I claim: i V

1. In combination, a mandrel for positioning and supporting a coiled spring, means for clamping and wrapping the end of the spring around the adjacent coil, and meansco-opcrating with the mandrel for forming loops in the end coil of the spring while the spring is clamped on the mandrel.

2. In combination, a mandrel for positioning and supporting a coiled spring, means for clamping and wrappingthe end of the spring around the adjacent coil, and means for forming loops in the end coil of the spring comprisin g dies for cooperatlng with the mandrel in succession to form the side of each loop nearest the endof the spring and then the opposite side of the loop.

3. In combination, a mandrel for positioning and supporting a coiled spring, means for clamping and wrapping the end of the spring around the adjacent coil, and means for forming two or more loops inthe end. coil of the spring, said forming means coopcrating with the mandrel to form the loops in succession starting with the loop nearest 7 the end of the spring.

- 4. In combination, a mandrel for positioning and supporting a coiled spring, means for. clamping and wrapping the end of the springaroundthe adjacent coil, the mandrel having peripheral projections, and a plu: rali'ty of dies for cooperating with said projections insuccession starting at the projec: tion nearest said end for forming loops in the end coilof the spring. 7

- starting from said end.

'5. In combination, a mandrel for positioning and supporting a coiled spring, means for clamping and wrappingthe end. of the 7 spring around the adjacent coil, the mandrelhaving two or more peripheral projections, and a plurality of dies for. cooperating with first one side and. then the other side of each projection so as to wrap the spring around the mandrel in a progressive manner 6 Ina machine of the class described, a mandrel or stationary die block for support- 7 ing a coiled wire spring, themandr'el having peripheral projections, amovable twister for engaging and twisting the end of the spring around the adjacent coil, and movable dies for engaging and bending the. wire about o said projections.

1 1 7. In combination, a

mandrel forposition- 7 ing and supporting a coiled'wire spring,

means for clamping the spring onthe mandrel, a twister head cooperating'with the mandrel for wrapping the'end of the spring around the adjacent coil., and a plurality of dies for successively cooperating with the mandrel for forming loops in the end coil of the spring progressing away fromthe end 1 of, the spring. 7

o .8. In combination a stationary mandrel for supporting a coiled wire spring, the'man? drel having a grooved recess in its upper surface. conforming to a portion of. the second coil of the spring, a yieldably mountedstop for gauging the position of the. end of the springya movable clamp for clampingsaid' portion insaid recess, a twisterhead movable into' cooperative relation with the mandrel for bending-the end of thesprmg and V twisting the end around the second coil, and

means for operating the clamp and the head. .9; In combination, a stationary mandrel for supporting a coiled wire spring,- the mandrel having a recess in one side and a helical groove in the upper surface conforming to a portion of the secondcoil of. the spring, a movably mounted fingenforclamping said portion insaid recess, a gauge finger yieldably mounted in front of said recess for positioningthe end of the spring, twister head mounted to move-into the recess for bending the end of the spring against the side of the recess and twisting theend aroundthe second coil, and means for operating the finger v andthe twisterhead;

= 10-. In combination, a stationary mandrel for a coiledwire spring,;the mandrel havingafhelical groove in its upper surface conformingto an, intermediate portiongofj-the,

spring, a finger for .clamping-saidportion in said groove, a twister headfortwisting-the end of the spring around the adjacenteoil, and movable dies for engaging the peripheral surface of the mandrel, the mandrel and dies having cooperating surfaces for forming loops in theend portion-of the spring.

11. In combination, a stationary mandreli" forsupporting a coilspring, a stop for. 10-

eating the endof the. spring, a clamp for 1 clamping the spring on the mandrel a twister head for engaging and wrapping the end of the spring around the adjacent coil, and dies cooperating with the mandrel forforming loops in the spring while said end is being wrapped. 7 i

12. In combination, a bed plate, a mandrel fixedly mounted on the bed plate, afinger pivotally mounted, on the bed plate 'for clamping a coilspring on to the mandrel, a plurality of pairsof cooperating dies slidably mounted on the bed plate for engaging the mandrel to form loops. in the spring, and

means foroperatingthe dies, said finger being operated by one of the dies.

' 13(111.COlZ1bl11tl31011,tt frame,

Means, bolted'to the fra1ne,-a spring-supporting mandrel fixedly mounted on the bed plate,a

finger pivotally mounted on the bedplate for clamping the spring on the mandrel, a ram slidably mounted in the frame and having atwister head for wrapping the end of the spring around the adjacent coilfanda plurality of dies'slidably mounted in" the bed plate for cooperating with the mandrel for forming loops in the endcoil. ofthespring,

means for operating the ram and twister head, and means for operating thefdies, the finger being operated by one of the dies and by the ram.

14. In combination, aframe, a. bed platebolted to the frame, a spring-supporting mandrel fixedly supported on the bed'plate,

form loops inthe end coil of the spring, and

means slidably connected to said means for operating the dies, said finger being initial- 1y" operated to clamp the spring by one of said dies and thereafter lock'it in position by the ram so that the spring is held in position while being engaged by the twister and locked in position during the formation of the loops. Slgned at Muncie, this 14th day of January,

WILLIAM, wonnnitmoni 

